Method for manufacturing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device

Abstract

A fabricating method of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device including a driving portion having thin plates facing each other and a film-like piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on the surface of at least one thin plate of the thin plates, and a fixing portion and a movable portion in rectangular solid form. The thin plates are spanned so that the side faces of the movable portion and the fixing portion are continuous. The fabricating method includes steps of preparing a laminated body of green sheets comprising at least one green sheet to constitute the thin plate, and at least one green sheet with at least one hole formed thereon, sintering a green-sheet laminated body, and forming a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element on an outer surface of the thin plates of the sintered body obtained.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method for fabricating a piezoelectric/electrostrive device having a driving portion comprising thin plates facing each other, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on a surface of at least one of said thin plates, and a fixing portion and a movable portion in rectangular solid form, wherein said thin plates facing each other are spanned so that side faces of said movable portion and said fixing portion are continuous, said method comprising the steps of: 
       preparing a laminated green sheet body comprising at least one green sheet constituting a thin plate and at least one green sheet having at least one hole formed therein;  
       sintering said laminated body to obtain a laminated sintered body;  
       forming said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element on an outer surface of said thin plate of said laminated sintered body; and  
       cutting said laminated sintered body having said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed thereon in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane of said laminated sintered body to expose said at least one hole at a side face of said laminated sintered body.  
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one green sheet constituting said thin plate is laminated with said at least one green sheet having at least one hole formed therein. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said laminated green sheet body is obtained by a method wherein said at least one green sheet constituting said thin plate comprises a single green sheet and said at least one green sheet having at least one hole formed therein is a laminated green sheet comprising a desired number of said green sheets each having at least one hole formed therein. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one green sheet having at least one said hole formed therein is laminated with said at least one green sheet constituting said thin plate. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of cutting said sintered body having said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on an outer surface of said thin plate into a plurality of cut bodies; and 
       heat treating said cut bodies at a temperature of 300° C. to 800° C.  
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of laminating a green sheet mounted on a plastic film and having at least one hole formed therein on a surface of an outermost layer of said green sheets each having at least one hole formed therein of said laminated green sheet body; 
       aligning said at least one hole of said green sheet mounted on said plastic film; and  
       removing said plastic film.  
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein said plastic film comprises a poly(ethylene terephthalate) film. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one green sheet constituting said thin plate comprises two green sheets each having at least one hole formed therein to constitute two thin plates; 
       wherein said at least one green sheet having at least one hole formed therein comprises a plurality of laminated green sheets each having at least one hole formed therein; and  
       wherein said preparing step further comprises interposing said plurality of laminated green sheets each having at least one hole formed therein between said two thin plates to prepare said laminated green sheet body.  
     
     
       9. A method for fabricating a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having a driving portion comprising thin plates facing each other, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on a surface of at least one of said thin plates, and a fixing portion and a movable portion in a rectangular solid form, wherein said thin plates are spanned so that side faces of said movable portion and said fixing portion are continuous, said method comprising the steps of: 
       preparing a laminated green sheet body comprising at least one green sheet constituting a thin plate and at least one green sheet having at least one hole formed therein;  
       sintering said laminated green sheet body to obtain a laminated sintered body;  
       forming said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element on an outer surface of said thin plate of said laminated sintered body;  
       cutting said laminated sintered body having said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed thereon to expose said at least one hole at a side face of said laminated sintered body and to form a plurality of cut bodies; and  
       heat treating said cut bodies at a temperature in a range of 300° C. to 800° C.  
     
     
       10. A method for fabricating a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having a driving portion comprising thin plates facing each other, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on a surface of at least one of said thin plates, and a fixing portion and a movable portion in a rectangular solid form, wherein said thin plates are spanned so that side faces of said movable portion and said fixing portion are continuous, said method comprising the steps of: 
       preparing a laminated green sheet body comprising at least one green sheet constituting a thin plate and a plurality of green sheets having at least one hole formed therein;  
       laminating a green sheet mounted on a plastic film and having at least one hole formed therein on a surface of an outermost layer of said green sheets having at least one hole formed therein of said laminated green sheet body;  
       aligning said at least one hole of said green sheet mounted on said plastic film;  
       removing said plastic film;  
       sintering said laminated green sheet body to obtain a laminated sintered body;  
       forming said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element on an outer surface of said thin plate of said laminated sintered body; and  
       cutting said laminated sintered body having said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed thereon to expose said at least one hole at a side face of said laminated sintered body.  
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said plastic film comprises a poly(ethylene terephthalate) film.